Schengen Visa: Europe Trip Gets Costlier As Fee Hiked By 12% From Today

Schengen Visa 12% Fees Hike Effective Today: Travelers to Europe will now have to pay higher visa application fees as the European Commission’s 12 per cent hike in Schengen Visa fees becomes effective today, June 11, 2024. This increase is applicable worldwide.

This move coincides with the bloc’s efforts to promote tourism in the region.

Under the new fee structure, adult applicants will pay €90 (previously €80), and children aged 6-12 will pay €45 (previously €40). Countries deemed uncooperative with the EU’s efforts to repatriate their citizens will face steeper hikes, with fees reaching €135 or €180.

Currently, one euro (€) is equal to nearly Rs 90.

“The European Commission adopted a decision to increase short-stay Schengen visa (visa type C) fees worldwide by 12 per cent. This increase will apply globally starting June 11, 2024,” the Slovenian government stated in May.

The European Commission cites inflation and rising civil servant salaries as justification for the increase. The previous fee hike occurred in February 2020.

This decision follows a scheduled review of EU visa fees that took place in December 2023, which occurs every three years as stipulated by the Schengen Visa Code.

The Schengen Area encompasses 29 European countries, offering visa-free travel for short stays to holders of a Schengen visa. These include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway (not officially a Schengen Area member but applies regulations), Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The development comes as a disappointment for some, particularly Turkish citizens who have long awaited a visa-free travel agreement with the EU.

In 2023, the Schengen region received over 10.3 million short-stay visa applications, reflecting a 37 per cent year-on-year rise. However, this is still below the pre-pandemic peak of 17 million applications received in 2019.

India secured the third position in terms of visa applications for Europe, with a total of 966,687 submissions.

The visa fee hike comes at a time when Europe seeks to attract tourists from around the globe. On April 18, 2024, the European Commission introduced a new visa regime specifically for Indian citizens residing in India, referred to as a “visa cascade”. It included easier access to multi-entry visas, rewarding positive visa history, and the potential for a five-year visa.